File photo
Frank DeLima plays Santa, with a sackful of laughs
awaiting those who attend his new Christmas show
at the Hawaiian Waikiki Beach Hotel.

DeLima delivers cheer

By John Berger
Special to the Star-Bulletin

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Frank DeLima's Christmas Show: At Captain's Table, Hawaiian Waikiki Beach Hotel, 2570 Kalakaua. Showtime 8:30 p.m. tomorrow, Saturday, Dec. 26 and 31. Cost: $7 cover plus two-drink minimum. Free parking under hotel. Call 922-2511.

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NO local entertainer celebrates Christmas with more joy and sincerity than Frank DeLima. His Christmas shows have been a seasonal delight for years. His first Christmas show in the Captain's Table Lounge in the Hawaiian Waikiki Beach Hotel continues that tradition. At least one "must-do" segment has been brought back. Several of DeLima's most popular characters are back as well:

Cardinal Vermicelli helps DeLima's musicians -- Robert Nishida (guitar) and David Kauahikaua (all other instruments) -- rework "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" into a wholesome sin-free Catholic song about praying at midnight mass.

Chinese magician Fu Ling Yu presents hilariously obvious feats of mystery and illusion. Two members of the audience play jun ken po for the honor of becoming Fu's assistant. The loser becomes the assistant!

Choir director Mary Tunta leads 11 audience "volunteers" through a local-style version of "The 12 Days of Christmas." DeLima, er, Tunta, has a unique talent for getting the most out of audience participation bits. The "choir" on opening night was excellent in that respect; some were shy, others sang off-key, one was a seasoned karaoke singer.

The rest of the audience sings the "five beeg fat peegs" spot. A few miscues added laughs on opening night.

No DeLima holiday show would be complete without his "Filipino Christmas Carol." The yule tree costume has been refurbished, but the popular medley of carols with a Filipino flavor is intact as a contemporary island standard.

Buddhist Santa Claus is a new character. He reads letters from several well-known "kids" -- Henry Peters, Lokelani Lindsey, Bill Clinton, Linda Lingle and Abigail Kawananakoa. Each "kid" has a special request of a political or legal nature.

A final segment or two showcases DeLima as himself. He's always good as himself. A sales pitch suggesting autographed copies of his albums as Christmas gifts becomes a tour through past shows and old-time hits all the way back to 1981's "Don't Sneeze When You Eat Saimin." What better way to include some of the songs longtime fans still ask for, and sell a few albums too?

As always, DeLima is especially entertaining when he forgets his lines or has costume problems. An unexpected delay during an early costume change on opening night gave Nishida and Kauahikaua a chance to show that they, too, can improvise.

The one different thing about this year's Christmas show is its short run, only through New Year' Eve. There'll be no "Christmas in March" as happened at least once in the old days at the Noodle Shop. So, go now, Hawaii. Have a very "pocho" Christmas.

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